L.A. Apartments and Therein- A BUNCH OF JOHN'S APARTMENT BUILDING

There was always, it seems two types of apartment buildings to

Live in in the 80’s in L.A.  ones that had a pool and those that didn’t. The irony being that usually more than not, many didn’t use the pool and usually it would be woman getting some rays, chatting or parading (not excluding men) with the caveat that many who were working their way in the entertainment industry would use the poolside as if another form of church and worshipping of the sun and chlorine doused water.

Now there were hills that were a mix of home and then an apartment building here and there. So you didn’t get the project type look that seems to accompany rows of apartment buildings and not sure how the residential areas were zoned at that time. We had found an apartment on the second floor, while gave a walkway around the second floor to get to other apartments and to talk to others in other apartments sometimes a bit louder than talking. Now there could be a bit of an echo effect or at times sounding like the gods throwing thunderbolts from mount Olympus. What did get confusing at times is there were up to 6 johns in the building so it was hard sometimes to discern which john you wanted so there was fish john who raised molly fish. Virgo john, yours truly. Gay john, butch john-gay john partner, glasses john. John who visited miss Julie-and then stayed with gay john and butch john. The was a pool cleaning guy except not sure if he was a John too.

There was always several apartments that seems to always be transient in terms of people staying for only a month or two. But then again this was L.A. so considering most of the people who stayed there for ay least a year or more were younger-it was an exceptional apartment building. At least in terms of longevity. People are people so you had ones who drank beer-some wine not hard booze unless a party- pot smokers-some who sables in snorting or basing and some PCP, hash, keif or tragic magic. Truly a variance and never a lot of any one but then never none of those. Having a melting pots of personalities it was a carousel of different stories, relationships adventures ,that never stopped even in an absurdity it always had its varied perspectives which added to the fun tapestry of life and make the seem more well oiled. And there were lessons learned again-never judge a book by the cover was a daily reminder that sometimes didn’t quite sink in right away but alas we tend to hang on preconceived notions. Sometimes we do get a sense that it is  down the block different than our own concept

In our younger days we we sometimes stunned by what we thought the person was about and then to be either toppled over by either dull surprise-which meant we made a good choice of who they were or in awe of how badly wrong we were in a shitty sense or wanting to kick our own asses for being so wrong about a good person.

So it takes a while- to whatever degree to hone our skills on being aware of who people really are…when you live in close quarters as in an apartment complex and are there at various times-sooner or later you interact-at least in the 70-80’s and I think in L.A. there was the stress of trying to make it and you learned a lot by word of mouth..cell phones were things of the Jetsons. Be it a concert, who is in town, where a film is being shot, where are auditions, is there a rehearsal, where’s the party, invites only? So and so did what? Hey I wanna go too. Did you eat there yet?